


Knight in a Shining Armor

by Marudny_Robot



Category: DCU (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics), Young Justice (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friendship, Gen, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Slice of Life, Tim and his problems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 10:42:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17042219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marudny_Robot/pseuds/Marudny_Robot
Summary: “So? How have you been?” Cassie asks him, turning the glass in her hands playfully. Relaxed. As if mere moments ago she didn’t rescue him, like a damsel in distress, from some wannabe-villian of the week, but as if they were some high school acquaintances who just met in the mall few years after graduating.





	Knight in a Shining Armor

**Author's Note:**

> I guess you _could_ consider it pre-relationship, but seriously, nothing indicates it (not in that fic at least).

“So? How have you been?” Cassie asks him, turning the glass in her hands playfully. Relaxed. As if mere moments ago she didn’t rescue him, like a damsel in distress, from some wannabe-villian of the week, but as if they were some high school acquaintances who just met in the mall few years after graduating.

_Quite good. Still not the member of the Dead Robins Club,_ Tim thinks instinctively, but stops himself from saying his usual reply out loud. He’s talking with _Cassie._ She _will_ see his bullshit and _won’t_ appreciate it.

“I’m still alive” he says instead, trying to be honest with her. “Somehow.”

“Let’s not think about specific of your near-death experiences.” She looked directly into his eyes, turning the suggestion into an order. “You will turn it into discussion about how to _correct_ every and each of those situation just so they will give the desired effect. I know you will. And I’m not sure if I’m more scared _of_ you or _about_ you.”

“Fair,” he admits, because, _well…_ Those may be the result of daily gathered stress combined with his own perfectionist tendencies (or Bruce’s rubbed of on him), but in the end his latest form of amusement is bitching about the starting villains and their inadequacy in their job _and how much_ they aren’t even _trying_ to up-grade their “qualifications”.

One time, he snapped and gave full-out lecture to criminals after listening to their “genius plan” of getting  ransom-money for Timothy Drake-Wayne. During being abducted. Even Damian got worried afterwords and offered him a knife, asking if he wants to  _stab something_ .

Sweet kid. But really, nothing would make Tim forget that it’s possible to complicate and make useless plans for  _abducting_ .

He really needs a new hobby.

Silence fall between them, but not exactly the one of a comfortable kind as it is usually. Time passed, things happened and no-one now dares to speak what’s on their mind no matter how they want to.

Tim feels like Robin again. When he started to be  _friends_ with that bunch of crazy idiots,  his Young Justice teammates, and desperately wanted to be  _honest_ with them.

There’s no Batman here to tell him  _no_ , but Tim still thinks like there is.

“So–”

“So…”

They both stop. Look at each other and laugh.

“You first,” Cassie chooses.

“Ladies first” he points at her.

“Says the damsel in distress, but sure.” She starts but have to pause, Tim groan and eye-roll being to funny to her.

“So, why has _Timothy Drake-Wayne_ happen to be captured by big bad villain?”

“He wasn’t that big,” Tim mutters, still irritated at the whole ordeal. He was only going back from the meeting, but _noOOoo…!_ He can’t have a nice afternoon to himself after being confined in the suit and tie the whole day.

“Sorry, hon, but your head was at the same height as his nipples.” She laughs again, louder this time, as Tim crosses his arms and surely curses his height _yet again._

She stops suddenly, idea coming to her head.

“ _Oh!_ You meant big _there!_ Rob, you surely don’t wait for the invitation…!”

“Go die, Cassie.”

She laughs even louder and Tim _sags_ in his chair, exhaling. He smiles, because that’s _Cassie._ He can’t be mad at her and her annoying humor for too long. He doesn’t join her in laughing out loud, only because he’s tired after his eventful day. Instead he ask waiter for re-fill.

Eventually Cassie stops laughing like a madman at her own jokes and attacks her freshly refilled glass of ice-tea with a fervor of a warrior. He opts to not comment on her barbaric behavior.

She gives him a sting eye, pausing in her drinking. “On Themyscira, we drink from the skulls of our enemies, _Princess_. Do you really want me to consider you enemy, Tim?”

Tim knows her to well to be aware when she jokes. However, he doesn’t point out her bullshit and instead points at himself, brows raised in question, as if asking _who? Me?_

“’ _Stupid Blonde’_ act doesn’t work for you, _Robbie_. Stop believing gossip-rags.”

Tim smiles charmingly, the same way he does _exactly_ for those gossip-rags, showing Cassie that _yes, it does_. Tim knows for a fact that no-one can resist it.

As if on cue, he spots a guy with a camera on the other side of a road, but doesn’t do anything with it. He was rescued by Wonder Girl anyway – he bets 50$ that the spicy secrets of their shameless romance would be available to read in half of the tabloids on Nation-wide scale. At least five mentions how Wonder Woman wants to geld him for _deflowering_ his protege.

Cassie grimaces, also being aware of the paparazzi, and bets 0.5$ – Only in third of them, and Tim is considered ‘possible exception to amazonian ‘no-men’ rule’ in most of them.

They shake hands.

“Speaking of romances, how’s your marriage with Tam?”

Tim groans. “Stop talking about the marriage. You know, there was no marriage. And Tam’s feeling _great_! She threatened me to ‘finish paperwork on time’ only two times last month and to ‘go sleep more than two hours’ only seven. At least it means that _finally,_ no silent treatment.”

Cassie nods, happy that it’s working out. She knows full well how her friend tried to apologize to Miss Fox, considering she was teaching him _how_ to apologize properly.

Tim and normal healthy human interaction was… _work in progress_.

“And you?” he asks. “Found anyone yet?”

It was her turn to groan miserably.

“ _Apparently,_ ” she start, not hiding her disappointment in her voice, while her fingers grab a paper napkin and start to rip it apart. Piece by piece. “when potential candidates _stop_ focusing on my boobs and long blond hair, the next thing they notice are _my arms_. And that’s when they remember _but of course! She’s_ Wonder Girl _! She couldn’t possibly have tiny, puny arms! That’s not_ _how_ _human body works!_ ” She sighs. “To bad, it’s also the last time I hear from them.”

Tim puts his hand on hers.

“If it makes you feel better, I prefer you with _big muscled_ arms. Just imagine how _my_ reputation as a _man_ would fall if a girl with noodle-like arms would have rescued me.”

He got a handful of napkin pieces in the face as an answer.

“Like your _manliness_ isn’t already questioned.” Cassie retorted, snickering at Tim’s face. He still had few white napkin pieces in his hair. “Like seriously? You have such toned muscles, you put most men _to shame_ , yet everyone focuses on your _babish_ face? What happened to that boy who was set on proving everyone who’s boss?”

“Is, currently, technically, _the boss_ of one of the biggest corporation in USA.”

“You know what I meant.”

“I know,” he said, but didn’t say more on the matter.

Cassie wasn’t finished. “Remember your last visit to Tower?” He nodded. “Since then you acquired quite a number of admirers and inspired others all-through the newest generation.” He didn’t know that – but guessed, based on Greta’s and Anita’s amused comments on their group chat after the visit.

Cassie bent forward to Tim “Mostly thanks to your _one-on-one lessons_.”

For once, Tim was not amused.

“Why did you phrase it like that?” He grumbled, annoyed, as Cassie was shamelessly laughing at his misery. He didn’t want to know what percentage of tabloids rightly guessed that they were talking about _sparring lessons_.

His phone chimed, giving him an excuse for ignoring Cassie. Apparently Tam was trying to call him twice – and judging by time stamp, first during the rescue (excusable), second while he was talking with Cassie (not so much excusable).

Dutifully, he checked his email and what Tam must have send him. During this time, Cassie calmed down and waited for him to finish.

Then she saw frown on his face.

“Something’s wrong?” she asked.

He shook his head slowly to the sides, as if considering the situation. “I might finally have a chance to talk with certain investor, who – if the meeting would be successful – would be great asset for WE.”

“So, that’s good?”

“Yes. Very.”

“But?”

He looked sideways, not daring to look at her. “Buuut…”

“ _Tim_.”

“ _But_. The meeting is set during my birthday trip I theoretically know nothing about, besides the date, but I have fair guess what it would include.”

_Damn it_ Cassie mutters, not commenting about how hard it is to surprise Tim sometimes. “Tim, you are a guest of honor, you can’t put it below  _some investor_ .”

Tim stopped himself from saying anything. Both, him and her, knew that he could quite easily find quite a number of sound arguments for the meeting, putting the not-so-now-surprise-archeological-trip (lead by Helena Sandsmark and few of his late father’s students), for which he actually couldn’t wait, below.

They both also knew that that wasn’t the problem.

“ _Tim_ ,” Cassie begun a little irritated. “Must I remind you, _yet again_ , why not _everything_ must be done by you and that _it’s okay_ to ask for help or favors?”

Tim avoided her gaze. “ _No_ .”

“So, what would you do?”

“I’ll ask Bruce to go to the meeting in my place.”

“And…?”

“I’ll mention that I already had plans during that time…”

Cassie didn’t like that tone. “ _And_ if he would reply that he also is busy and add,  _oh,_ let’s say ‘you surely could spare a minute, son?’”

Tim knew exactly what she was suggesting for him to say. “It would be _pressurizing_! I-I _could not–!_ ”

“You can and you will.” She stopped him, not-quite ordering. “Seriously, Tim? What’s so _wrong_ in saying ‘Dad, my friends organized a trip for my birthday at the same time. I want to go there. Besides, everyone always tells me to take a break.’”

Tim grimaced, as if he just tasted a very sour lemon.

Cassie ignored him. “Change ‘Dad’ for ‘Bruce’ if you want, but talk with him. Don’t prolong that.”

He sighed, resigned. “I won’t.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

She smiled. “I’ll keep you to that. Now, pay for the drinks and I’ll fly you back to Manor. Let’s give those paparazzi some few more good shots.”

He smiled back, and waved for waiter. ”Yeah, let’s do this. They’ve got to be sure who’s my knight in the shining armor, after all.”

**Author's Note:**

> Soo… Sorry I come back with (possibly?) new series instead of finishing what I already started?  
> But seriously this one was an accident. I started it few hours ago as a "warm-up" to get back to writing after the unwilling break.  
> And I finished it with the idea of a whole AU where that fic takes place.  
> I'd love to share it, but I know myself, and if I start talking about that AU, it would be harder for me to go to my other AUs. So, let's finish at least "As I promised You" first, ok? Then I'll spill the beans.
> 
> As always, when you see some (crucial) mistake in the text, please let me know. English is not my first language and that's kinda how I learn.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think! :D


End file.
